Prepare and Deliver a Speech Effectively

Delivering a speech can be nerve wracking, but it doesn’t have to be. By crafting your speech thoughtfully, using effective body language and perfecting your delivery, you can ensure your speech resonates with your audience long after it’s finished.

Steps

Crafting Your Speech

  1. Brainstorm your message. If you’ve been asked to give a speech, the first step is to choose a focused message. Even if you’ve been given a theme for your speech such as “inspiration” or “strength,” this is more a general umbrella under which your specific point (and point of view) will fall. Brainstorm a short list of five ideas for your speech. It can be helpful to write them in command form to ensure that you’re delivering a message to your audience rather than just a soliloquy or meditation.[1]
    • For the example above of “strength” a brainstorm of five speech messages could include: “don’t ever give up,” “find strength through adversity,” “overcome failure,” “build physical strength for inner strength,” and “know your strengths.”
    • If you feel stuck for ideas, consider if there is a current political or social context that brings new insight to your theme.
    • Which of the ideas do you feel most passionate about? You’re apt to have a lot to say if you have strong feelings about a given topic.
  2. Answer “why” to build three supporting points. By undergirding your central message with supporting evidence, you strengthen it. A stronger message has more meaning and will resonate more with your listeners. To come up with supporting points, ask yourself “why” about the speech message you’ve selected. For example, for “don’t ever give up,” you’d ask, “Why should you never give up?”[2]
    • So for our example above, three answers to the “why” could be: “Because you won’t accomplish your goals,” “because you’ve already invested time and effort,” and “because all things worth accomplishing challenge you.”
    • Make a list of several possible supporting ideas. Read through your finished list, and at the end, cross off the weaker ones that don’t support your main point as well. This way you’ll be left with the most potent arguments.
  3. Write with your audience in mind. After you have focused the central message and supporting points for your speech, you can flesh out the rest by considering our audience. Is this a formal speech at a CEO summit or a weekly meeting over bagels? Knowing who your audience is and what they are expecting from this encounter can help you pick the right tone to optimal effect. Expand on your message appropriately.[3]
  4. Show, don’t tell. Some speakers choose to generalize complex topics in a speech because they think it’s easier for the audience to understand. It’s actually better to do the opposite. Listeners tend to connect better with concrete examples and personal stories, so embrace detail in your speech. A personal anecdote about why one shouldn’t give up is more effective than just saying not to.[4]
    • In crafting your speech, you can draw on famous stories, parables or your professional area of expertise. Areas where your passion and knowledge overlap are generally richest.
    • If appropriate to the context, don’t be afraid to tell a joke about the topic. A little self-deprecating humor can make the audience warm to you.
  5. Speak for 20% less time than you’ve been asked to. Some of the most effective speeches of all time have been brief. “The Gettysburg Address” was only 15 minutes, while “I Have A Dream” was 17. Aim for brevity. A good formula is to speak for 20% less time than you’ve been asked to, as people tend to vastly overestimate the attention span of their audience. So for example, if you were asked to speak for 1 hour, try speaking for 48 minutes.[5]
  6. Solicit feedback from a friend. Because this speech is being delivered to an audience rather than being published, it is important to get feedback from theoretical listeners. Read your speech to someone you trust and ask for some honest feedback. In particular, it can be helpful to ask if anything is confusing or unclear. Your speech will have more impact if the message is engaging.

Using Body Language

  1. Maintain eye contact. During your speech, look at your audience while you are taking. It can be helpful to put the content of your speech, either fully written out or in bullet points, on note cards, so you are not staring straight down at a piece of paper while you speak. Use the changing of each note card to remind yourself to look up.[6].
    • Try to connect with someone new every time you scan the room. Engaging your audience visually makes you appear secure and confident.
  2. Speak loudly and clearly. It doesn’t matter how great your speech is if people only hear every few words. Use a friendly, but authoritative tone and be sure to speak loudly enough so everyone can hear you.[7]
  3. Employ gestures when appropriate. A well-placed gesture can add humor or aid greater understanding of your speech. These non-verbal cues can emphasize your speech’s content for better comprehension. For optimal effectiveness, punctuate your speech with gestures when appropriate.[8]
    • Try to keep gestures of moderate size and between your shoulders and waist. Gesticulating wildly can make you seem out of control.
    • Try to avoid pulling at the hem of your clothes or gesturing too much if your hands are shaking with nerves. If you’re a very nervous public speaker, try just resting your hands against the podium. It will make you feel steadier.
  4. Walk when it makes sense. If your speech is informal, walking from one side of the stage to the other can help engage people sitting in different parts of the audience. Linger for a moment or pause your walking to punctuate a thoughtful moment of your speech. It will draw your audience in and enhance your effectiveness.[9]

Perfecting Delivery

  1. Rehearse. Practicing your speech frequently ahead of time will make you feel most at ease with the material. This will enable you to employ more of the non-verbal cues, which increase speech effectiveness. Try practicing in front of a mirror to note any desired (or undesired) facial expressions you use during your speech.[10]
    • Use a voice recorder app on your phone to record yourself delivering your speech, and listen to the playback. Make notes of any undesirable pauses or places where your voice becomes difficult to hear. Work on these sections of your speech in particular.
  2. Bring props to punctuate your speech. If appropriate, bring props to punctuate your speech for your audience. This can be anything useful such as a graph to handout to all attendees or even a personal item to drive home your speech’s content. Props can personalize your speech and add interest or humor.[11]
    • For example, if you were giving a speech about conquering your fears, it might be funny and effective to show your childhood teddy bear to the audience. “Humans have lots of ways of conquering fears,” you might say. “This is Fuzzy, and he was mine for the first 5 years of my life. While we might not sleep with teddy bears as adults, conquering our fears in effective ways is no less important.”
    • Limit yourself to one or two props maximum per speech.
  3. Dress the part. Use your clothes to reinforce your authority or professionalism as the speaker to increase your effectiveness. For example, if you, a doctor, are giving a speech at a medical supply company, it might make sense to wear your white coat. Similarly, if you are a CEO, wear a nice suit to convey authority.[12]
  4. Have water accessible. A dry throat can sabotage the most well-intentioned speakers and blunt their message. Have a glass or bottle of water nearby while you deliver your speech in case you need to take a drink.



Tips

  • Don't let pre-performance jitters upset you. It is common. Some simple calisthenics or meditation may help prepare you physically and mentally.
  • Visit the auditorium beforehand to familiarize yourself with the space, the acoustics, and the technical equipment.
  • If you can, practice with the audiovisual equipment you intend to use.
  • Practice in front of your family and friends. Ask for honest feedback.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://drmichellemazur.com/2013/04/speech-topic.html
  2. ↑ http://study.com/academy/lesson/types-of-supporting-materials.html
  3. ↑ https://www.boundless.com/business/textbooks/boundless-business-textbook/business-writing-5/word-choice-46/keeping-the-audience-in-mind-234-3213/
  4. ↑ http://thewritepractice.com/show-dont-tell/
  5. ↑ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/03/01/short-speech/
  6. ↑ http://www.artofcommunicating.com.au/public_speaking%20tips/body%20language_gestures.html
  7. ↑ http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speak-up-voice-projection/
  8. ↑ http://www.scienceofpeople.com/2015/08/how-to-speak-with-your-hands/
  9. ↑ http://www.presentation-pointers.com/showarticle/articleid/85/
  10. ↑ http://www.publicwords.com/2012/07/26/seven-ways-to-rehearse-a-speech/
  11. ↑ https://mannerofspeaking.org/2011/09/29/ten-tips-for-using-props-in-a-presentation/
  12. ↑ http://www.uccs.edu/Documents/commcenter/Dress.pdf
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